Glass-blowing machine



Feb. 20, 1923. 1,446,026

M. P. WETMORE GLASS BLOWING MACHINE Original Filed May 24, 1918 5 sheets-sheet l Feb. 20.1923.

. M. P. WETMORE GLASS BLOWING MACHINE 8 5 sheets-sheet 2 Original Filed May 2 Feb. 20 1923.

M. P. WETMORE GLASS BLOWING MACHINE Original Filed May 24, 1918 -5 sheets-sheet 15 .m MAM w mV 3 w 35 61mm, I

- atented Feb. 20, 1923.

MINER .nwnrmonn, or NEWARK, N W JERSEY, assienon T HYGRADE linernnnmns co. me, a CORPORATION or new JERSEY.

srnsssnowme MACHINE.

Application filed may 24, 1918, Serial No. 236,408. Renewed January 4,

To all whom v'tmay concern:

Be it known'that I, MINER P. Warriors, a citizen of the United States of America, residing at Newark, county of Essex, State of New Jersey, have invented certain new- I and useful Improvements in'Glass-Blowing. Machines, of which the following is a specification. l

My invention relates mainly to machines for glass blowing and is particularly adapted for'use-in blowing bulbs or-incandescent electric lamps, though certainofthe novel mechanisms therein embodied may be used in lathe chucks, etc. In machines of the 16 character specifically mentioned above lengths of glass tubing are held between oppositely disposed revolving chucks which grasp and stop up the two ends of each piece of tubing, except for a small opening at one 20 end, and rotate the same in the heating zone of a set of gas burners, while compressed air is admitted to the tube interior-through the 0 ening in the chuck at one end, and a mold oi the proper shape is swung up and held 26 against the swelling bubble of hot plastic glass which is formed" by the expanslonof the compressed air in the tube interior. Such machines as heretofore built have been slow and clumsy in operation, the operator so, having to directl manipulate all the clutch jaws, valves an other mechanisms separately. In my invention the chuck jaws are operated simultaneously by power and all control means are conveniently assembled so 85 that the operator can blow the bulbs at greater speed and with much less manual effort. than with the old machines. I

The best form of apparatus at present known to me embodying my inventlon 1s 40 illustrated in the accompanying three sheets of drawings in which: I

Fig. l is a side elevation with pipe connections broken away.

Fig. 2 is an end elevation looking from the right of Fig. 1. I v F 3' is a vertical section on line 33 of F ig. 1, looking, in the same direction as in F i 2, as indicated by the arrow in F ig. 1. Fig. 4 is an enlarged, detail axial section of the non-sliding revolvin chuck, and operative connections thereibr, parts being broken away and the chuck jaws shown in closed position.

Fig. 5 is a similar but more fragmentary end which bears 1923. detail showing the phuck jaws partly opened. i

Fig. 6 is a vertical section on line 66 of F1 5,-and

' ig. 7 is a perspective detail of a fragment of one of the chuck jaws showing one of the radial guide slots therein. Y

Throughout the drawings like reference characters indicate like parts. The frame of the machine comprises the bed plate 1,

the end housing 2, 2, the upper rail 3, and the combined lower rail and spindleshaft a. The horizontally sliding chuck 5 is mounted on the carria e 6, which slides on the rails 3 and 4, an is controlled by'the horizontally extending rack rod 7, which meshes with the pinion 8, on a horizontally extend in shaft and hand wheel 9.

n line with the axis of the movable chuck 5, 1s a non-sliding chuckconsisting of a rotating spindle 11, journaled in housing 2, and provided with a flange 12, on its inner against the side of said housing and a facing pad 13, of'soft material such as rubber, which is capableof making a substantially air tight joint with the end of glass tube 60, when pressed against such tube end. The pad 13, and the spindle '11, are axially bored to produce the continuous air passage 40. Outwa'rdly inclined guide rods 14, 14', set in spindle 11', on which slide the chuck members 15, each of which is grooved radially of the head, as well shown in the detail Fig. .7, at 16, so as to engage. the radial slots in the face plate 17, which plate is held in position by the, tie rods 18, passing through'the spindle head 11, parallel to the axis ther'eofiand terminating in reduced threaded portions at eith r end'which pass through perforations in t'e'face plate 17, and rear receive nuts 20, 20,'for holding said plates in position. These tie rods are movable ion plate 19, to

gitudinally in the spindle head and the rear. plate 19 and washer 21, engage the'reduced and'threaded end of a piston rod 27, which extends through stuiiing of cylinder 26, and carries piston 24, in said cylinder. This cylindef' -26, is supported bythe side bars 10, extendin' g horizontally from either side of the housing 2, and fastened-to .said housing and to the i '10", as indicated inFigs. 1 and 2; ()n the reduced threiided endof this piston rod is cylinder by the bolts boxes in the ends mounted one member ofthe ball bearing 22, the other member of which, 23, rotates with the rear plate 19. A: nut 25, on the threadeden'd of the piston rod holds the last described parts assembled as 'well shown in detail inFig. d.

The above described construction is such chuck jaws '15, are pulled along the inclined guides 14, in the reverse direction and are caused to radially approach one another, there-lay closing the chuck upon the end of the glass tubing.

volving or stationary, on account of the ball bearing connection between the rear plate 19,-and the piston rod.

' The sliding chuck 5, is of similar construction having the rotating member 11,

provided with flange 12*, perforated face pad, flaring guide rods 14*, chuck jaws.15

mounted thereon and provided with radial slots, a slotted face plate, tie rods .and rear 'plate 19, side rods 10 bolted to sliding car-.

riage 6, supporting cylinder 26", provided with piston 24: and piston' rod 27, connected to the rear plate 19, by a ball bearing all said parts being similar to those shown vacuum pipes 30 and 30',E which extend toin Fig. 4.

The chuck operating pistons 24, 24?, are

actuated by the unbalanced air pressures produced. by connecting either end of the cylinder in which each piston is contained with a vacuum pump, or vacuum tank suchas are always in use and conveniently at hand in incandescent lamp factories, for use in which factories my invention is priemarily designed; Another great advantage of using the vacuum system for operating the clutches is that the amount of the actuating force is then limited, so that the fragile glass tubing handled by the clutch may not be crushed, as might otherwise occur, by an excessive force applied through careless operation of the apparatus. The cylinders have ports 28 near their outer ends, and 28 near their inner ends which are connected by pipes 29 and 29 respectively to main the vacuum control valve 61, from the port 62 of which, there .is a constant connection to a. vacuum pump or vacuum tank, not shown.

The are shaped valve passage 64, is in connection with the port 62, whatever the position of the valve, but the ends of this passage are alternately in connection with port T63 01" 63', connected to pipes 30? and- 30,

tread sucked from 'the inner orouter ends of These. operations take place whether the chuck spindle 11, is re- 'iaeeoee movement of the valve lever 64, which lever is connected to treadle 65, normally held up bylspring 66. It is evident that as this e is lowered or raised, the air will. be

cylinder 26,26, and the chuck jaws will be accordingly opened or closed. The pipes 295 and 29' have flexible sections 29*, which permit the cylinder to be moved, as byslidmg carriage 6. i 7,

Both spindle heads and chucks carried thereby are rotated by means of gears 31, 31*,

held on the rear ends of the spindles by set screws, as indicated in Fi 4:, and meshing with driving gears 32, 32 eyed on the combined lower rail and spindle shaft 4. This shaft is driven in. any convenient manner, as by belt drive 34,. from countershaft 33, which latter carries driving pulley 35, over which runs belt 36. The pulley of the countershaft drive is loosely mounted on the countershaft, but may be locked thereto by the sliding clutch 37, operated by clutch lever 38, pivoted on bracket 39, and extending out to the front of the machine where itcan be conveniently grasped by the operator.

The air duct 40, in spindle head 11, is connected by radial branch 41, to the circumferential air groove 42,- on said spindle head, which groove connects with the com pressed air pipe 43, extending to the compressed air valve 44:. This air valve is op erated by lever 4C5, from any convenient treadle by any suitable connection.

16 is a hollow shaft connecting at one end with the air pipe 43, and left open at the other end, on which it carries a hand wheel On the other end of the shaft 46, is'a pinion .48, which meshes u "*h rack 19, carried by the sliding mold-carriage 50, which mold-Carriage slides upon the ,guide rails 51, 51, supported from the bed plate 1, which latter also supports uprights 52, between 'the upper ends of which is supported" the pivot shaft 52 for the vertically swinging frame 54. This frame extends under the hinged mold 53, which is pivoted at 55, to

mold carriage 50. The swinging'frame 54, is held in raised or lowered position by lever 56, which is pivoted on the combined -lower rail and spindle shaft a, while its free end is connected by link 57, to any convenient fobt treadle or other operating de vice not shown in the drawings. The operation of the last described mechanism is such that the swinging mold 58, will rest and'be'supported on the swinging frame 54:, in whatever osition the sliding carriage 50, assumes wit' in'the limits of motion allowed by! the frame. {The position of the swinging frame 54, and consequently the lifting or lowering of the mold 53, is controlled through the lever 56, and connectionl57; The mold and its'carriage can be connection with the ports 28,

.tube in the two chucks.

slid back and forth by means of the hand wheel 47, and at any position of the carriage the mold can be raised or lowered by the tread 1e connection.

58, 58, are a series of gas burners, the flames from which converge upon the tube 60. These gas burners are fed. from the gas pipe 59, which has a flexible connection to some source of supply, not shown.

The mode of operation of the entire apparatus is as follows: gas being turned on and the burners lit, and the clutch 37 en gaged so as to set the chucks in rotation, the

operator steps on treadle 65, throwing the vacuum pump into connection with pipes 295 and ports 28, with the result that the fluid pressure on the inside faces of pistons 24 and 24*, is reduced below that existing on the outside faces of said pistons and the pistons piston rods and connections up to face plate 17, 17, are forced inward, thus opening the chuck jaws 15, 15 The operator then inserts the piece of glass tubing 60, which has been '.cut to the proper length and takes his foot off the treadle 65, which is lifted by spring 66, with the recult that the vacuum pump is thrown into in the cylinders 26, 26 and the preponderance of. fluid pressure being thereby created on the insides of .pistons 24, 24, they are driven outward, dragging face plates 17, 17*, with them and pulling the chuck jaws 15, 15, down the inclined guides 14, 14 clamping them onto the ends of the glass tubes 60, thus closing the jaws and centering said The rotation of the chucks rotates the tube 60, in the heating zone of the burners 58, and the tube begins to soften. This heating zone is first applied at one end of the tube, usually the right hand end looking at Fig. l, by shifting the mold-carriage to that extremity of its travel through operation of the hand-wheel 47. As soon as the glass tube 60, was inserted between the jaws of chucks, the operator slid the movable chuck 5, up to the right throughthe operation ofthe hand wheel 9, until the ends of the tube 60, were compressed between the elastic face pads 13. After the glass tube 60, has been placed in position, and its ends closed by contact with the face pads, the operator opens the compressed air valve 44, but the compressed air so admitted to tube 43, normally blows ofl' freely through the open end of branch pipe or hollow shaft 46. As soon as the action of the gas flames has softened the glass tube within the heating zone sufficiently,-the operator places his thumb on the open and of branch air pipe 46, thereby preventing further discharge of the compressed air and creating in consequence an internal air pressure in said glass tube 60. his causes given the shape of half of a lamp bulb,'the

plastic "lass. bubble is at once given the proper shape as it is rotated againstthe mold with the compressedair forcing it into close contact with the mold face. This operation having been completed tin mold is dropped down, the carriage supporting the mold and the gas burners shifted to the left by hand wheel 47, far enough to repeat the operation upon another portion of the glass tube, and the above described steps are again gone through with. When the glass tube 60, has thus been transformed into a series of connected lamp bulbs, the sliding chuck 5, is moved to' the leftby hand-wheel 9, and t e completed bulbs removed, the chucks h ving been reopened by reversing the vacuum connections. A new glass tube is then inserted and the operation repeated.

The advantages of my invention comprise its convenience and rapid operation, one operator being able to run off a large number of. bulbs with comparatively little exertion, the apparatus being semi-automatic in its action. With one hand he can operate the hand wheel 47, movingthe mold carriage back and forth and with the. thumb of that hand he can open or close the end of the compressed air blow-off passage in the hollow shaft 46, without removing his hand from wheel 47.

Having described my invention, I claim:

1. The combination, with arevolving chuck having radially movable jaws of an operating connection from said jaws through the chuck spindle, rotatable therewith, a

ball bearing on the rear of said connection.

MINER P. WETMORE.

with a revolving Witnesses:

SAMUE M. l-IoLLANnnn, Hns'rnn BENDER.

piston rod fits loosely, 

